Edward James Olmos
Biography
Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor, director, producer, and activist. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Martin "Marty" Castillo in Miami Vice (1984–1989), actor in and director of American Me (1992), William Adama in the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica (2004–2009), teacher Jaime Escalante in Stand and Deliver (1988), and Detective Gaff in Blade Runner (1982), and its sequel Blade Runner 2049 (2017). In 2018, he played the father of two members of an outlaw motorcycle club in the FX series Mayans MC. For his work in Miami Vice, Olmos won the 1985 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. For his performance in Stand and Deliver, Olmos was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role. He is also known for his roles as patriarch Abraham Quintanilla in the film Selena, narrator El Pachuco in both the stage and film versions of Zoot Suit, and the voice of Chicharrón in Coco. Over the course of his career, Olmos has been a pioneer for more diversified roles and images of Hispanics in the U.S. media. His notable direction, production, and starring roles for films, made-for-TV movies, and TV shows include Wolfen, Triumph of the Spirit, Talent for the Game, American Me, The Burning Season, My Family/Mi Familia, Caught, 12 Angry Men, The Disappearance of Garcia Lorca, Walkout, The Wonderful Ice Cream Suit, American Family, and Dexter. Description above from the Wikipedia article Edward James Olmos, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Personal Details
Also Known As
Movies (40)
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
as Narrator
2026
Say a Little Prayer
Executive Producer (Production)
2024
One Fast Move
as Abel
2024
Outlaw Posse
as Ossie
2024
Chasing Wonders
as Luis
2021
The Blade Runner Phenomenon
as Self - Actor (Gaff)
2021
Walking with Herb
as Joe Amable-Amo
2021
The Disney Family Singalong - Volume II
as Self
2020
Space Songs: Through the Distance
as Self
2020
Raúl Juliá: The World’s a Stage
as Self
2019
Imprisoned
as Hospicio
2019
The Devil Has a Name
as Santiago
2019
Carlos Almaraz: Playing with Fire
as Self
2019
Windows on the World
as Balthazar
2019
A Dog's Way Home
as Axel
2019
The Eyes of Martin Castillo
as Martin Castillo (archive footage)
2018
Every Night's a Saturday Night
as Self
2018
Coco
as Chicharrón (voice)
2017
Blade Runner 2049
as Gaff
2017
Blade Runner: Black Out 2022
as Gaff (voice)
2017
LA 92
as Self (archive footage)
2017
L.A. Burning: The Riots 25 Years Later
as Himself
2017
Monday Nights at Seven
as Charlie
2016
Americano
as Gayo (voice)
2016
Unity
as Narrator (voice)
2015
Exile Nation: The Plastic People
as Narrator (voice)
2014
The Journey of a Female Comic
2014
Agave is Life
as Narrator (voice)
2014
Go for Sisters
as Freddy Suárez
2013
2 Guns
as Papi Greco
2013
Filly Brown
as Leandro
2013
A Bridge Apart
as (Voice)
2013
America
as Mr. Irving
2011
The Green Hornet
as Michael Axford
2011
I'm Still Here
as Edward James Olmos
2010
Battlestar Galactica: The Plan
as Commander William Adama
2009
A Class Apart: A Mexican American Civil Rights Story
as Narrator
2009
Beverly Hills Chihuahua
as Diablo (voice)
2008
Dangerous Days: Making Blade Runner
as Self
2007
Deck-A-Rep: The True Nature of Rick Deckard
as Self
2007
TV Shows (10)
La Californie !
as Self - Actor
2023
100 Years of Warner Bros.
as Self
2023
Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur
as Molecule Man (voice)
2023
Chaparreando
Creator (Creator)
2020
Bless This Mess
as Randy
2019
Mayans M.C.
as Felipe Reyes
2018
The Real History of Science Fiction
as Himself
2014
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
as Robert Gonzales
2013
Portlandia
as Edward James Olmos
2011
Blue Bloods
as Lorenzo Batista
2010